Special education services and student behavior emerged as the single most frequently cited priority during the board’s strategic-planning work session. Board members said the district must examine whether students are correctly classified for special education services, reduce staff overload and expand training and supports for classroom aides and teachers.

Board members and staff described long-standing pressures in which some students classified as special education fall well behind grade-level benchmarks because they missed foundational skills earlier in elementary grades. Staff said past efforts to reassess classifications—by administering measures such as basic-education screening tests—helped return some students to general education once gaps were addressed, easing caseloads for special-education staff.

Members discussed several next steps: a “deep dive” into special-education data to identify misclassification, solicit frontline staff about what tools and training they need, and formalize feedback loops with classroom staff and paraprofessionals. Staff described implementing a data-driven “stoplight” tracking system used at the high school that flags students for early intervention based on attendance, referrals and other metrics; the district will extend similar tracking to elementary grades next year.

On behavior, the board asked for clarity about the district’s sequence of interventions and protocols from elementary through high school, and requested continued work on systems that standardize administrator responses to bullying claims. Members highlighted transportation as a frequent locus for disputes and social-media spread, and urged coaching for administrators on how to communicate to concerned parents while preserving student privacy.

No formal policy changes were adopted at the work session. Staff were directed to bring data and recommended training priorities back to the board as part of the strategic-plan draft and subsequent reporting.